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Viking Cruise Line is probably more well-known for river cruising, but did you know that they offer ocean cruises, as well?
Since 2015, Viking Ocean Cruises has been a leader in “small ship” cruising. You’ll notice lots of differences between Viking Ocean Cruises and other popular cruise lines like Royal Caribbean and Princess from the moment you step onboard.
First, you’ll notice that the ships are smaller than other cruise lines, carrying only 930 passengers each. Compare that to Royal Caribbean’s Oasis Class ships which can each carry over 5,000 passengers! There won’t be any children onboard either — all guests must be at least 18 years old. You’ll also notice the absence of many traditional cruise line features like art auctions, casinos, waterslides, and photography setups.
Another huge difference is that Viking includes a shore excursion complimentary at each port of call and there are no specialty restaurants that charge additional fees!
Name: Viking Ocean Cruises
Parent Company: Viking Cruises
Number of Ships: 9
Destinations: 200+
Loyalty Program: Viking Explorer Society
Credit Card: None
Viking Ocean Cruises currently operates 9 ships. These are all identical sister ships that are classified as “small ships,” carrying only 930 passengers.
Hot Tip: Viking has one of the newest fleets around. The oldest Viking Ocean cruise ship is Viking Star, which debuted in 2015.
Viking Ocean Cruises travels to over 200 destinations on 6 continents from 30 departure ports.
| Departure Ports | ||||
| North America and the Caribbean | Los Angeles, CA | Miami, FL | Montreal, Quebec, Canada | New York, NY |
| San Juan, Puerto Rico | Seward, Alaska | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | ||
| Europe | Amsterdam, Netherlands | Athens (Piraeus), Greece | Barcelona, Spain | Bergen, Norway |
| Copenhagen, Denmark | Greenwich, England | Istanbul, Turkey | Lisbon, Portugal | |
| London (Tilbury), England | Reykjavik, Iceland | Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy | Stockholm, Sweden | |
| Venice, Italy | ||||
| Asia and the Pacific | Auckland, New Zealand | Bali (Benoa), Indonesia | Bangkok (Laem Chabang), Thailand | Hong Kong, China |
| Mumbai (Bombay), India | Singapore, Singapore | Sydney, Australia | Tokyo, Japan | |
| South America | Buenos Aires, Argentina | Santiago (Valparaiso), Chile | ||
Viking Ocean Cruises does not have a private port or island.
Hot Tip: Not sure where to go to book your cruise to get the most bang for your buck? Check out our guide to the best websites to book your cruise at the lowest prices.
The onboard activities on a Viking cruise are a little different than what you’ll find elsewhere. You won’t find casinos, bingo or art auctions. You won’t find multiple pools with waterslides or splash pads. You won’t find a rock climbing wall or ice skating rink.
What you will find is programming designed to support your onshore activities. Dubbed “The Thinking Person’s Cruise,” Viking aims to educate, enlighten, and inspire you.
Here are some of the activities you may find on a Viking Ocean cruise:
During the day, casual attire including shorts and jeans is acceptable. Swimsuits, cover-ups, and exercise clothes should only be worn around the pool, sports deck, and fitness center.
There are no formal nights on a Viking Ocean Cruise. However, after 6 p.m., “elegant casual” attire is required in dining facilities (with the exception of World Cafe), special events, and evening performances. For women, elegant casual includes dresses or skirts/pants with a blouse or sweater. Men should wear trousers and a collared shirt.
Bottom Line: Cruising with Viking Ocean Cruises is a bit different. There aren’t any casinos, art auctions, photography sales, or children. You won’t pay extra for Wi-Fi or to use the launderettes. There are no formal nights and smoking isn’t allowed anywhere onboard.
One of the big differences between Viking Ocean Cruises and other cruise lines is dining. You won’t find any restaurants on a Viking Ocean ship that come with an additional charge. Plus, house wine, beer, and soft drinks are included with your lunch and dinner.
*Denotes an “alternative restaurant” that requires reservations
There are beautiful spaces on a Viking ship to relax with friends and have a drink. You’ll enjoy the 2 story panoramic windows in the Explorer’s Lounge or you can listen to live music in Torshavn.
If afternoon tea is what you’d prefer, stop by Wintergarden for tea, finger sandwiches, scones, and desserts.
Unlike most other cruise lines, Viking Ocean Cruises offers house wines and beers along with soft drinks complimentary with lunch and dinner. Specialty coffees and teas plus bottled water are also available for free at any time.
While many drinks are included in your cruise fare, you can also purchase a beverage package to include even more.
The Silver Spirits Beverage Package is available for $19.95 per person per day and includes any drinks (except Champagne) up to $15 per glass. This includes beers, wines, cocktails, liquors, and soft drinks.
You must be at least 21 years old to purchase a Silver Spirits Beverage Package, and both adults in the stateroom must purchase the package.
If you’d prefer to bring alcohol onboard, you can do so for free. There is no limit to what you can bring onboard and there is no corkage fee charged regardless of where the alcohol is consumed.
Hot Tip: Curious about award travel on cruises? Check out our complete guide to using miles and points to book a cruise.
The base-level accommodation on a Viking Ocean ship isn’t the interior room you might expect. That’s because there are no interior rooms on Viking! All staterooms have a private veranda.
The Veranda Stateroom comes with a king-size Viking Explorer bed, free Wi-Fi, flat-screen TV with on-demand movies, and a mini-bar stocked with soft drinks, water, and snacks.
A Penthouse Veranda Stateroom includes a mini-bar with alcoholic beverages, a large bathroom with a glass-enclosed shower and a heated floor, a welcome bottle of Champagne, and 2 guaranteed priority reservations at each alternative restaurant.
Hot Tip: While embarkation is at 11 a.m., the time you’ll be able to access your stateroom is based on the type of room you select. All suites come with the earliest access time of 11 a.m.
A Penthouse Junior Suite is a step up in luxury. This type of room comes with 3 priority reservations at each alternative restaurant, priority shore excursion reservations, and priority spa reservations.
The bathroom comes with dual sinks, a heated floor, and an anti-fog mirror. Plus, you’ll enjoy extras like a welcome bottle of Champagne, in-suite binoculars, in-suite coffee maker, and twice-daily housekeeping.
The largest stateroom onboard a Viking Ocean ship is the Owner’s Suite. This luxurious multi-room suite has over 1,400 square feet of indoor and outdoor living space plus tons of perks. There is a master bath with a glass-enclosed shower and all the bells and whistles, plus 2 guest bathrooms. There’s a separate dining room that seats 6 people plus a private library, oceanview dry sauna, a boardroom for business meetings, wine and music collections, and more. Plus you’ll have the earliest access to reserve shore excursions and spa treatments and 4 guaranteed reservations in each of the alternative restaurants.
Bottom Line: Every stateroom on a Viking Ocean Cruises ship has a private veranda — there are no inside staterooms!
As soon as you’ve sailed with Viking once, you are a member of the Viking Explorer Society.
Unlike other cruise ship loyalty programs, there are no tiers of membership in the Viking Explorer Society. Unfortunately, the benefits are minimal.
As a Viking Explorer Society member, you’ll receive an onboard credit when you book your next Viking cruise within 2 years of your last one.
When you cruise as a Viking Explorer Society member, you’ll also be able to attend a members-only cocktail party with the ship’s staff.
Hot Tip: Get the most bang for your buck by using the right credit card to book your cruise.
Sailing on a Viking Ocean cruise is not like a cruise on any other cruise line. These cruises are for the sophisticated traveler looking for more of a cultural experience.
All of Viking’s ships are considered “small ships,” carrying only 930 passengers each. You won’t find casinos or kids on a Viking cruise. However, you will find luxury accommodations, serene community spaces, live classical music, and lectures to educate and inspire.
If you’re looking for a party ship or traveling with kids, Viking Ocean cruises won’t fit the bill (check out Carnival, Disney Cruise Line, or Norwegian instead). But, if you’re looking for a more intimate experience that focuses on luxury and cultural experiences, Viking Ocean Cruises could be a great fit for your next vacation.
Yes, the Viking loyalty program is called Viking Explorer Society. You’ll be enrolled automatically after your first Viking cruise. Unfortunately, the benefits are minimal — a shipboard credit if you book another cruise within 2 years and a members-only cocktail party.
All of the Viking Ocean cruise ships are identical sister ships, so it’s really hard to determine which one is the “best.” Viking Neptune is the newest ship, which debuted in 2022.
Yes, any guest 21 years or older can bring alcohol onboard with no charge.
Viking Ocean cruises are about as all-inclusive as you can get on a cruise. You won’t find any additional charges for the alternative restaurants, Wi-Fi, or even wine, beer, and soft drinks at lunch and dinner. Specialty coffees, teas, and use of the launderettes are included as well. They even offer 1 complimentary excursion at every port of call!
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Katie has been in the points and miles game since 2015 and started her own blog in 2016. She’s been freelance writing since then and her work has been featured in publications like Travel + Leisure and Forbes Advisor.
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5 comments
Janet merritt
May 31, 2022
Are there any rooms that can accommodate 3 people?
Katie Seemann
June 01, 2022
Hi Janet,
Unfortunately there are no rooms on any Viking ship that can accommodate 3 people.
Michael
January 14, 2023
How can I find a list (and a description) of all the available excursions on a Viking Alaska cruise? Thank you!
Katie Seemann
January 17, 2023
Hi Michael,
If you’re already booked on a cruise, you should have access to shore excursion info in your online account.
Mark Jennings
June 24, 2023
We’ve booked cruises with several other cruise lines and have always been treated with care, like they wanted to retain us as customers—but not Viking. During the time of travel restrictions over Covid, I got Covid days before I was supposed to leave, so I wasn’t going to able to get into the country, let alone the boat. I thought that since I bought travel insurance, I’ll just make a claim, get a refund and try again some other day after Covid blows over. Big mistake. As it all shook out, Viking pocketed $9,663.83 of our money (That’s a lot of money!) and told us in their reply too bad, how sad (included in the letter below,) we’re keeping the money. As far as I’m concerned, they stole that money, but they’re a big company and who am I to fight them? Caveat Emptor. If you book a trip, don’t get hurt, or sick, or die, because even with insurance you might just get screwed.
My wife’s letter:
Hello, I booked a cruise January 2021 for me and my husband from Rome to Istanbul and an additional cruise for two guests joining us from Athens to Istanbul. This was for June 2022 to celebrate my husband’s retirement. We were very excited and willing to pay the very large sums of money to do this once in a lifetime trip celebrating a momentous time in our lives. January 2022 we had to change the booking to a lesser trip (Rome to Athens) for only two people due to family circumstances. Then, in June, we had covid and had to cancel going at the last minute. All in all, I paid $43,334.47 for the original booking and the amended booking. Of that, I received $33,667.64 in refund. That’s a difference of $9,666.83! That’s how much your company kept, and we didn’t get to go anywhere! I continue to get mailings from Viking offering me sales and specials which just end up aggravating me instead of inspiring or tempting me. I’ve told others of my disappointing experience with you and I have vowed to never use your company again unless you do something to make it right. I expected a lot more from a luxury company. So, would you please either a) take me off your mailing list (customer #XXXXXXXX) or b) bring this to the attention of someone who can do the right thing and give us a full refund of all that we paid?
Viking’s reply:
Dear Shirley,
Thank you for reaching Viking Guest Services. We appreciate you taking the time to write in today, we hope you and your family are safe. I have taken care of your request to remove mailings.
Due to delay in USPS processing can take 6-8 weeks we appreciate your patience and your inquiry. The voucher of $8,328.84 was redeemed to Martina’s XXXXXXX and booking was cancelled at %100 penalty. The voucher would be considered used and lost, I apologize.
If we can be of any further assistance at this time, you may email us or contact 888-663-8454 and any Service Specialist agent may assist.
Best Regards,
(name withheld) I’m sure he’s just following company policy
Guest Services Department
PS. The booked trip was to leave on June 11, 2022 on the Viking Sky going from Rome to Athens. I’m just now getting to the point emotionally where I can talk about it.
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